URGENT: Call Gov Brown NOW and Tell Him to Sign the FAIR Education Act

Gov. Jerry Brown may have a long history of being pro-gay - but he also has a long history of being pro-farm worker and yet he recently vetoed a bill dear to the United Farm Workers. Brown, remember, has an even longer history of being unpredictable.

So it is imperative that the LGBT community swamp his office NOW with calls and emails telling him to sign SB 48 - the California FAIR Education Act. This bill would provide students in public schools with accurate, fair and positive images and information about LGBT people and our contributions. The Religious Right - including the LA Catholic Church - is claiming that the bill would "sexualize" education and is reportedly bombarding his office with calls to VETO the bill. Brown has until Monday to sign, veto or let the bill go into effect without his signature.

Whatever happens will influence the fate of potential legislation elsewhere. And California, like Texas, is such a massive customer of textbooks that it skews what publishers offer.

Call Brown's office now - 1-916-445-2841. This is an automated line. You will be asked if you want English or Spanish. You will then be asked if you want to express your opinion on legislation - that's option #2. You will then be asked if you're calling about SB 48 - prohibition against discriminatory education - press #1. Then you will be asked if you want to support - press #1. Please Note: the automated message is a bit finicky - please wait until the guy finishes before pressing your option.

To give you a visual idea of what's at stake - here are two starkly different images I shot while covering the LGBT community. The first is a young girl holding up the iconic Shepard Fairey image protesting the passage of Prop 8 and the second is of members of the Westburo Baptist Church clan with the child standing on a soiled American flag promoting antigay hatred.

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